A wonderful, exciting Christmas story featuring the talents of Billy Mumy as Will Robinson! A solid effort. In recent interviews, Bill Mumy stated that this one was his favorite episode.
The story revolves around a matter transfer machine. A few episodes earlier, a family representing an alien race called the Taurons left their matter transfer machine on the planet.
While on a rock hunting expedition, Penny and Dr. Smith discover the machine. Penny's pet Debbie the bloop gets loose,climbs it and turns it on. As Penny grabs Debbie and backs away from the machine, they get caught in the transfer beam.
In looking for Penny, Will happens upon the machine. Penny and the bloop re-appear in front of him. Penny asks Will where he has been. A surprised Will asks Penny where she came from. Penny knows nothing about disappearing. She is unaware that she was in the beam. Will races off, excited to tell dad that the machine really works.
An amusing scene happens back at the Jupiter 2. This is the first of several times in this episode that Will is telling the truth but isn't believed. John and Maureen are sure that Will made the story up when Penny denies everything Will is saying (Penny had no memory of ever having been in the transfer beam). John decides it's best to destroy the machine, and, over Will's objections, John and Don will destroy it first thing the next morning.
Will takes the robot and sneaks off to the matter transfer machine before Don and John can get there. The robot sends Will to earth. His orders, which Dr. Smith will later try to countermand, are for the robot to remain at his post and return Will to the planet at noon.
The episode rocks from here on.
Will arrives in Hatfield Four-Corners, Vermont. Will first meets Davey Sims. When Will explains who he is, Davey thinks he's lying. Davey is sure that Will is a runaway. Seeing that Will has no coat, he offers to take Will to his house, where he lives with his Aunt Clara.
Aunt Clara doesn't believe Will either. Will wants to call Alpha Control to tell them who he is and that everyone else is on Priplanus, but Aunt Clara thinks Will is a runaway and wants him to call his real family. When she can't get through to him, she takes him to the Sheriff.
The Sheriff doesn't believe Will, either. He arranges to send Will to a Boy's Home until they can find out who Will really is and contact Will's real family.
While waiting to board the bus to the orphanage, Will gets into a fight when the other boys also don't believe him. This is a particularly well-acted scene. Will's frustrations erupt when one of the other boys tells Will that the real Will Robinson, like the rest of those Robinsons, is dead.
A lady named Ruth, who seems to be in charge of the boys, breaks up the fight and whisks Will away to testify before the Town Council. They don't believe a word he's telling them, either. While they're debating what to do about him, Will sneaks off. He sees the bus getting ready to leave.
Will hides in a telephone booth until the bus leaves. He gets into a General Store, but the owner of that store won't let some kid make crackpot long-distance calls on his phone. The Robinsons need carbon tetrachloride for their food purifier, and the store has a large bottle of it. Will tries to steal it and is re-captured by the Sheriff.
Back on Priplanus, there's a great scene between Dr. Smith and the robot. Dr. Smith orders the robot to vacate his post and come with him. Dr. Smith wants the robot to tell John Robinson that he never saw Dr. Smith anywhere near the matter transfer machine. There is a wonderful verbal exchange between the robot and Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith loses, of course.
What an episode! Great scenes between the robot and Dr. Smith. Wonderful acting by Bill Mumy as Will Robinson. A tight story that exposes the risks when adults don't believe a kid who really is telling the truth!
The weaknesses:
How can the robot possibly know where earth is if they're truly lost? How can he work an alien machine well enough to beam Will to earth?
In the beginning of the episode, when Penny gets caught in the transfer beam, she is seen screaming in terror and trying to escape the beam. It seems odd that we see her screaming in terror when she gets caught in the beam and yet when the beam releases her in front of Will, she calmly asks him where he has been and doesn't know she was ever in the beam. It would have worked better had they simply shown her getting caught up in the beam unaware.
The phones and phone system of Hatfield Four-Corners is from the 1930s. It's way too antiquated even for 1960s standards. It's hard for me to believe that Irwin Allen couldn't have included 1960s phones for those sets, considering the fact that the episode was filmed in 1965! Those who remember "The Waltons" might be amused to know that the actress who played Miss Mamie Baldwin (of the Baldwin sisters) has a brief appearance as a telephone operator in this episode. The switchboard she uses is from the era "The Waltons" is set in!
The story revolves around a matter transfer machine. A few episodes earlier, a family representing an alien race called the Taurons left their matter transfer machine on the planet.
While on a rock hunting expedition, Penny and Dr. Smith discover the machine. Penny's pet Debbie the bloop gets loose,climbs it and turns it on. As Penny grabs Debbie and backs away from the machine, they get caught in the transfer beam.
In looking for Penny, Will happens upon the machine. Penny and the bloop re-appear in front of him. Penny asks Will where he has been. A surprised Will asks Penny where she came from. Penny knows nothing about disappearing. She is unaware that she was in the beam. Will races off, excited to tell dad that the machine really works.
An amusing scene happens back at the Jupiter 2. This is the first of several times in this episode that Will is telling the truth but isn't believed. John and Maureen are sure that Will made the story up when Penny denies everything Will is saying (Penny had no memory of ever having been in the transfer beam). John decides it's best to destroy the machine, and, over Will's objections, John and Don will destroy it first thing the next morning.
Will takes the robot and sneaks off to the matter transfer machine before Don and John can get there. The robot sends Will to earth. His orders, which Dr. Smith will later try to countermand, are for the robot to remain at his post and return Will to the planet at noon.
The episode rocks from here on.
Will arrives in Hatfield Four-Corners, Vermont. Will first meets Davey Sims. When Will explains who he is, Davey thinks he's lying. Davey is sure that Will is a runaway. Seeing that Will has no coat, he offers to take Will to his house, where he lives with his Aunt Clara.
Aunt Clara doesn't believe Will either. Will wants to call Alpha Control to tell them who he is and that everyone else is on Priplanus, but Aunt Clara thinks Will is a runaway and wants him to call his real family. When she can't get through to him, she takes him to the Sheriff.
The Sheriff doesn't believe Will, either. He arranges to send Will to a Boy's Home until they can find out who Will really is and contact Will's real family.
While waiting to board the bus to the orphanage, Will gets into a fight when the other boys also don't believe him. This is a particularly well-acted scene. Will's frustrations erupt when one of the other boys tells Will that the real Will Robinson, like the rest of those Robinsons, is dead.
A lady named Ruth, who seems to be in charge of the boys, breaks up the fight and whisks Will away to testify before the Town Council. They don't believe a word he's telling them, either. While they're debating what to do about him, Will sneaks off. He sees the bus getting ready to leave.
Will hides in a telephone booth until the bus leaves. He gets into a General Store, but the owner of that store won't let some kid make crackpot long-distance calls on his phone. The Robinsons need carbon tetrachloride for their food purifier, and the store has a large bottle of it. Will tries to steal it and is re-captured by the Sheriff.
Back on Priplanus, there's a great scene between Dr. Smith and the robot. Dr. Smith orders the robot to vacate his post and come with him. Dr. Smith wants the robot to tell John Robinson that he never saw Dr. Smith anywhere near the matter transfer machine. There is a wonderful verbal exchange between the robot and Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith loses, of course.
What an episode! Great scenes between the robot and Dr. Smith. Wonderful acting by Bill Mumy as Will Robinson. A tight story that exposes the risks when adults don't believe a kid who really is telling the truth!
The weaknesses:
How can the robot possibly know where earth is if they're truly lost? How can he work an alien machine well enough to beam Will to earth?
In the beginning of the episode, when Penny gets caught in the transfer beam, she is seen screaming in terror and trying to escape the beam. It seems odd that we see her screaming in terror when she gets caught in the beam and yet when the beam releases her in front of Will, she calmly asks him where he has been and doesn't know she was ever in the beam. It would have worked better had they simply shown her getting caught up in the beam unaware.
The phones and phone system of Hatfield Four-Corners is from the 1930s. It's way too antiquated even for 1960s standards. It's hard for me to believe that Irwin Allen couldn't have included 1960s phones for those sets, considering the fact that the episode was filmed in 1965! Those who remember "The Waltons" might be amused to know that the actress who played Miss Mamie Baldwin (of the Baldwin sisters) has a brief appearance as a telephone operator in this episode. The switchboard she uses is from the era "The Waltons" is set in!
